Dynamics of the Coordination of Economy-Society and Resource-Environment in Shandong Peninsula, China

Shandong Peninsula,as a more developed region in Shandong Province even the east coast of China,is facing challenges from resources and environment pressures.This paper tried to track and assess the coordination status and the dynamic between resource-environment and economy-society systems in Shandong Peninsula during 2001-2008 in order to provide decision support for regional sustainability.An appraisal index system was built including five aspects of harmony degree(A),sustainability degree(B),opening degree(C),stability degree(D) and controllability degree(E).The results showed that:1) The coordination level of resource-environment and economy-society in Shandong Peninsula has continuously grown,and it has undergone three stages:no coordinated degree(2001-2002),weak coordinated degree(2003-2006) and basically coordinated degree(2007-2008).2) Five indexes of criterion hierarchy also increased overall,but each index showed different trends.Harmony degree,sustainability degree and opening degree rose all the time,while stability degree and controllability degree alternately rose and fell.The improvement of controllability degree was the slowest.3) The aggravating trend of environmental pollution was slowing down.The economic growth was driven by industrial growth and urbanization typically and investment was still the main force to pull the regional economic growth.At the same time,technology and education were becoming more and more important for economic growth.The level of foreign capital utility declined and the geographical advantage of Shandong Peninsula was exerted.Meanwhile some characteristics of knowledge economy were presenting.Water resources become the main constraint factor of fast development in Shandong Peninsula.It is necessary to further strengthen the coordination ability of government on regional sustainable development.     

Research of the Response of Ecosystem to LUCC in Miyun County, Beijing： Based on Ecosystem Services Valuation

Miyun County,located in the northeast of Chinese capital Beijing,was underwent remarkable variations in land use in recent years.This paper aimed to detect changes in land use of Miyun from 1997 to 2005,and to qualify the response of ecosystem to LUCC based on ecosystem services valuation.With two-periods TM images,we got land use change data,and then ecosystem services values were calculated using ecosystem services valuation coefficients proposed by Chinese scholar Xie Gaodi.Results showed that water area,farm land and unused land decreased while residential land,forest land,grassland and orchard land increased during the study period.The loss of ESV was RMB 206 million and the main reason was the decrease of water area and farm land area.As for spatial variation,there were most dramatically land use change and ESV decline in reservoir ecological protection region.The coefficient sensitivity analysis indicates that valuation coefficients used in the study are suitable and results are reasonable.The driving forces of ESV loss were rapid population growth and economic development.More work should be done to make eco-environment stay healthy.     

Comprehensive Appraisal of Provincial Low Carbon Development： A Case Study of China

In this research,the Factor Analysis model of measuring provincial low carbon development in China has been constructed.Based on data from 30 provinces,an empirical study was developed to measure comprehensive low carbon development using the Factor Analysis model(Principal Components method and Normalized Varimax Rotation).The results reveal that the provincial marks of low carbon development are generally low and only nine provinces have high marks(more than 0.80).The results also show significant regional disparity.The provincial marks of the eastern region are higher than both the middle and western provinces of mainland China.All of the provinces with high marks(more than 0.90) are located in the eastern region,and those with the lowest marks(0.60) are located in the middle region.Furthermore,regional disparity in low carbon development follows the same pattern as economic development in China.Finally,some suggestions for decision-makers are presented.     

China’s Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy:2006-2010

China achieved major progress in low-carbon development during the period of the 11th Five Year Plan (2006-2010). The increasing trend of energy intensity and carbon intensity of the economy as seen prior to 2005 was reversed to a sharp decreasing trend, leading to a 19% decrease in energy intensity and 21% decrease in carbon intensity in five years. The enhanced energy efficiency, mostly due to efficiency improvement in power and manufacturing sector, is the major driver of the decrease in carbon intensity of the economy. The development of renewable energy, despite its impressive growth rate, played a minor role because of its small share in the energy mix of the country. Energy con-sumption and energy-related carbon emissions per unit of area in building continued to grow at a lesser rate, which, combined with the fast growth of total building volume, led to fast growth in total energy consumption and carbon emissions in the sector. Similar trend is observed in the transportation sector whose total energy use and carbon emissions continued to grow fast despite slight improvement in energy efficiency. Agricultural energy use experienced a slight change and forestry made a major contribution to carbon sinks. Policy and institutional innovations helped build a solid system of rules for low-carbon development. Improving cost effectiveness of the system remains a major challenge for the next five year plan period.     

The Pattern of Government Health Expenditure in China

For a while since the inception of economic system reform programs in 1980s,China’s government investment in health was weakened.This resulted in healthcare provider’s increasing reliance on user charges for their income,poorer access to healthcare for the vulnerable population groups,and increasing socioeconomic disparities in health and healthcare.To address these problems,China initiated a series of health sector reforms since late 1990s.Our comprehensive review study has found that indeed Chinese government spending on health has been increasing in recent years,especially since 2009,when the new Healthcare Reform Plan was announced.Still,China needs to both further strengthen government investment in health and address the structural imbalances in government health financing,in order to make the overall Chinese health system more equitable and more efficient.     

Study on the Comprehensive Tourism Development Pattern in Periphery Minority Area： A Case Study of Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Gansu Province, China

The paper took the human-land relations as a basic point, and the theories of tourism industry system and sustainable development as the guidance, with Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture （Gannan） as the case study area. From microcosmic and macroscopic viewpoints, the author carded out function orientation and evaluation to the tourism industry development, and research on the comprehensive tourism industry development pattern of Gannan. Results show that the fragile ecological environment and the traditional economic growth pattern have restricted regional sustainable development, and made Gannan to become a representative of the periphery minority areas in Northwest China. Tourism development of Gannan is at the primary phase, with the characteristics of short industry chain and low economic efficiency. It is an inevitable choice to transform the way of regional economic growth and the development pattern of tourism industry from the traditional pattern to the pattern of sustainable development. Simultaneously, Gannan＇s natural, national and religious culture makes Gannan a broad prospect on the comprehensive tourism development. Gannan should choose the comprehensive tourism industry as its scientific pattern to realize sustainable development, promote harmonious social, economic and ecological development, alleviate the human-land contradictory, and realize dual goals in terms of ecology construction and economical development. For Gannan and the similar areas in China, studies on the sustainable development pattern of tourism have extremely important strategic sense with respect to tourism development and the sustainable development of regional economy.     

Three Critical Issues in Sustainable Development Studies and the Transition Development of China

The core issue for China transition development in the next 30 years is to shift from the quantity growth model to the quality improvement model. The paper introduces the research progress in three key areas of sustainable development studies since the 1990s. It is pointed out that there is a well-being thresh-old at which the margin utility of economic growth for human well-being will decline, that there is an ecological limit beyond which more economic growth in terms of physical scale will be impossible, and that the creation of human well-being is related not only to the amount but also to the structure and efficiency of public expenditure from government. After an in-depth discussion on facts, origins and policy implications of each issue, some theory and policy thinking with long-lasting significance are raised for the transition development of China.     

Humble Opinions on the Relationship between the Percentage of Urban Residents in an Urban Region and the Economic Status in This Region in China

It is a fact that in U.S. the immigration between rural areas and city areas is free, but in China this type of immigration is restricted by HUKOU system （Hukou, namely the household registration system, was designed to control rural-urban in China）. All of those national policies in city areas are much better than those in rural areas, so those corresponding differences bring about great discrepancy of the economic status （mainly including GDP per person and income per resident） between rural and city areas in the same urban region, especially in different urban re- gions because the percentage of urban residents in those urban regions is in-equable. The present paper mainly researches the topic of relationship between the percentage of urban residents and the economic status in an urban region in China, including the relationship between the economic and the political functions of a settlement in China during the process of urbanization.     

Primary energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in China

Climate change is one of the focuses to mitigate greenhouse effect and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.First,the paper summarizes on the carbon dioxide emission factors and methods suitable to the situation in China.Second,it analyzes the primary energy-related carbon dioxide emissions during the period between 1995 and 2005 from different fossil fuels and different zones.The trend of primary energy-related carbon dioxide emissions from 1995 to 2005 is"first decreasing and later increasing."Seven regions-Liaoning,Shanxi,Hebei,Shandong,Henan,and Jiangsu-and most of the provinces(cities or regions)were found to have similar trends regarding total carbon dioxide emissions in China.The annual carbon dioxide emissions and the growth ratio of these seven regions are much higher compared to those of the other 24 provinces(cities or regions).Finally,this paper puts forward some suggestions to reduce carbon dioxide.     

Ecological pressures on grassland ecosystems and their conservation strategies in Northern China

In this study,we identified ecological pressures on grassland ecosystems and adaptive countermeasures in Northern China.Our research revealed that the main sources of these pressures included population growth,economic development,resources exploitation,and global climate change,with human-related activities being overriding factors.Overgrazing was an important reason for grassland imbalance,causing soil erosion and desertification,especially during the sensitive spring greening phase.In steppe zones,commercial coal mining was destructive to the ecological environment.Regarding long-term strategies,we recommend that policy-makers devote more consideration to a new conceptual approach for transforming grasslands through shifting the focus from die grassland’s traditional production functions to meir ecological functions.Applying this concept,adaptive countermeasures should be developed to reduce human impacts based on the environmental capacities of grasslands.Moreover,we recommend the development of environment-friendly industries and reduction of pressures from human activities as effective measures for maintaining the balance between sustainable economic development and grassland conservation.Lastly,we suggest that restoration of degraded grasslands should conform to the principle of natural vegetation to further improve the ecological adaptability of plants and ecosystem stability.This study is expected to provide scientific support for policy-makers engaged in grassland protection.     

Research on Public Participation and Information Publicity in Strategic Environmental Assessment

Abstract

It has been generally recognized that strategic environmental assessment integrates environment and development into decision-making and becomes an important decision-making tool for implementing sustainable development. This paper firstly introduces the relationships of SEA, public participation(PP)and information publicity(IP), then discusses the key parts in enforcing the effective process of PP: They are the methods for how to make sufficient information open (What), when to implement PP (When), who will determinate the public (Who), and how to make the models of PP (How). Six cases are compared and analyzed. At last, ways to improve the effectiveness of PP in China is also presented.     

Research on Public Participation and Information Publicity in Strategic Environmental Assessment

1 INTRODUCTIONStrategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is the application of EIA(Environment Impact Assessment) to strategic actions such as policies, plans or programs (PPPs). More specially, SEA is: 'The formalized, systematic and comprehensive process of evaluating the environmental impacts of a policy, plan or program and its alternatives, including the preparation of a written report on the findings of that evaluation, and using the findings in publicly accountable decision-ma…     

Perfluorinated compounds in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) fillets from the Upper Mississippi River

Ten different perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), including perfluooctane sulfonate (PFOS), were measured in 30 common carp (Cyprinus carpio) fillets collected from three sites on the Upper Mississippi River in Minnesota in an effort to evaluate the potential impact of PFAA emissions in this area. Samples upstream of the city of St. Cloud (reference site) had median PFOS concentrations of 8.1 ng/g wet weight (ng/g wet wt), but median levels increased significantly downstream in the Minneapolis-St. Paul urban area, with concentrations from the Pig's Eye Lake site at 26 ng/g wet wt (p=0.0015) and the Spring Lake site at 40 ng/g wet wt (p=0.0004). This latter PFOS concentration is within the advisory range for limiting fish consumption to one meal a week according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Other PFAAs were also found to increase significantly between the reference site and the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, but maximal concentrations remained below 2.0 ng/g wet wt. This study demonstrates the bioaccumulation of PFAAs in a ubiquitous fish species in a major urban area known to have historical inputs of various PFAA compounds. The full extent of this contamination and the potential for accumulation in other species remain to be evaluated.     

土地利用变化对生态系统服务价值的影响--以武汉市为例

分析了1996～2001年武汉市快速城市化区域土地利用/土地覆盖变化,并计算由此导致的生态系统服务价值变化。应用Costanza生态系统服务价值计算公式,采用谢高地等人的中国陆地生态系统单位面积生态服务价值表进行计算,结果发现：①在研究期内,研究区耕地、草地、水域和未利用地在减少,其中耕地减少最多,达12.32×103 hm2,林地、湿地和建设用地在增加,建设用地增加最多,为11.70×103 hm2;②ESV由1996年的457.74×107元减少到2001年的456.14×107元,5年减少1.61×107元;③生态系统单项服务功能价值中的气体调节、气候调节、原材料和娱乐文化在增加,气候调节增幅最大,达8.51%,水源涵养、土壤形成和保护、废物处理、生物多样性保护和食物生产在减少,食物生产减幅最大,达7.42%;④敏感性分析表明,ESV对生态价值系数(Value Coefficient, VC)缺乏弹性,研究结果可信。     

福建省经济增长的资源环境代价评估

本文应用“含资源与环境项目的社会会计矩阵”（简写为SAMRE）分析1991－1999年福建省资源净产值、环境净产值和真实储蓄值。计算结果显示，福建省资源净产值与环境净产值各年损失幅度为11．17－62．05亿元，平均占全省GDP的2．1％。真实国民储蓄比传统国民核算体系的净储蓄减少1．48－69．4亿元，占净储蓄的1．11％－12．0％。分析表明自然资源损失与环境污染成为福建省经济总量增长的重大代价。其发展呈弱可持续性特征。此外，分析结果也显示，近年来资源与环境净产值损失占全省GDP的比重总体呈下降趋势，真实储蓄比重趋向上升。     

湖南省经济增长的资源环境代价评估

应用“含资源与环境项目的社会会计矩阵”（SAMRE）方法及其数学模型计算湖南省1991～1999年资源净产值、环境净产值和真实储蓄值。结果显示,湖南省资源净产值与环境净产值每年损失幅度为4.00亿～99.01亿元,占全省每年GDP比重的0.48％～3.18％,平均占2.35％。真实国民储蓄比传统国民经济核算体系的净储蓄减少10.41亿～109.60亿元,占全省每年GDP比重的1.25％～3.52％,平均占2.84％。分析表明自然资源损失与环境污染已成为湖南省经济总量增长的沉重代价,其发展呈弱可持续性特征。分析结果还同时显示,近年来资源与环境净产值损失占全省GDP的比重总体呈下降趋势,真实储蓄比重逐渐上升。     

Ecological and Economic System Health Assessment Based on Fuzzy Set Pair Analysis: A Case Study of Northwest Region,China

Abstract

Due to the increasingly serious environmental pollution and destruction, especially humans’ unreasonable activities, the ecological and economic system (EES) issues of Northwest region in China have attracted more and more attention of the researchers. Aiming at evaluating its ecological and economic system health, a multi-objective evaluation framework called Pressure- State-Response (PSR) was established to describe the ecological and economic health situations. Meanwhile, an integrative set pair model combining set pair analysis (SPA) and fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) was proposed to assess the ecological and economic system. Then the EES status of five northwest provinces (Shanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and Xinjiang) of Northwest region in China was evaluated during 1985 to 2009. The EES development trends of five provinces are obtained. In general, the health values of five provinces showed a rising trend. The health values of five provinces grew rapidly during 1985 to 2000. After 2000, the health values of five provinces still followed the present growth trend, but the growth is relatively smooth. The results show that the method proposed is effective for assessing the health of ecological and economic system.     

Trends in per capita ecological footprint and biocapacity in China 1949–2013

This paper proposes two concepts: the ecological footprint component index(EFCI) and the biocapacity component index(BCCI), based on the ecological footprint(EF) and Shannon entropy approaches. Per capita EFCI and BCCI in China 1949-2013 are analyzed using empirical mode decomposition(EMD). Nonlinear models of per capita EFCI and BCCI in China 1949-2013 are presented and their cycles and predictions from 2014 to 2023 are analyzed. The results over the last 65 years show:(1) EFCI in China has increased constantly with fluctuations, while BCCI has slowly decreased. Their annual change rates are 2.81% and-1.26%, respectively. The increasing EFCI indicates a gradual improvement in China's sustainable development potential; the decreasing BCCI indicates severe environmental and population challenges.(2) The cycles of per capita EFCI have periods of 5.4 and 16.3 years, while cycles of per capita BCCI have periods of 3.6, 13,and 21.7 years. The predictive models indicate that EFCI will first decrease, reaching 0.02725 in2014, and will subsequently increase to 0.03261 in 2021. BCCI will increase, reaching 0.01365 in2014 and 0.01541 in 2022. EFCI and BCCI will reach 0.03037 and 0.01537, respectively, in 2023.Policymakers should ensure that the EFCI and BCCI increase in 2023.     

战略环境评价在中国的发展及方法学探讨

本文在回顾和评述战略评价（SEA）的发展状况的基础上，从概念和实践的角度，对SEA方法学作了初步探讨，并提出SEA方法学研究的一般思路。     

我国石油需求预测及经济危机下的应对建议

石油资源的特殊性使得石油市场一直变幻莫测,尤其是当前经济危机影响下,我国石油市场的走向及应对策略成为了各界关注的焦点。石油需求的走向影响着我国石油政策的制定,因此石油需求的预测是很有意义的。本文应用灰色预测GM(1,1)模型,采用了1985至2008年这24年的石油需求数据,对我国未来五年的石油需求进行了预测,结果显示需求量将持续上升,而且增幅较为稳定。在此需求预测的基础上,结合我国目前石油市场的现状分析,认为存在的主要问题在于国内的石油供给不能满足日益增长的需求,导致石油消费对外依存度过高,能源安全存在隐患;另外,工业石油消耗强度过大也导致消费结构不合理,再加上我国石油进口多集中于中东等地区,渠道单一且不确定因素较多。结合当前经济危机条件的冲击影响,从保证国内石油供给、平衡能源消费结构和石油进口区域多元化这三方面提出了相关建议,认为应该加大国内外找油的步伐,多区域进口石油,并加大新能源和低能耗能源的研发,全面保障我国石油市场健康运行。